Chapter 121: You're Really Sick!

Toda Kyouji looked at the dagger in Akikawa Kyousuke's hand and almost burst out laughing.

"You don't actually think I risked taking the dagger out of the police station just to show you my reasoning, do you?"

"Indeed, all criminals are so stupid."

Seeing Akikawa Kyousuke completely take the bait, Toda Kyouji's inner excitement reached its peak.

This was his usual routine:

First, give the criminal hope, then drag them into despair.

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Next, he would deliberately drop something that could be used as a murder weapon within the opponent's reach.

Then, he would expose his supposed flaws to the criminal.

Though the tactic was outdated, it was exceedingly effective because Toda Kyouji knew how to precisely break someone's spirit and push them into the deepest despair.

So far, every criminal he had treated this way had made the same irreversible decision—

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They attacked him.

And this was Toda Kyouji's ultimate goal in interrogating criminals.

Watching Akikawa Kyousuke's behavior, Toda Kyouji skillfully showed a look of shock on his face at just the right moment.

Then, as if scared, he stepped back.

If nothing else happened, Akikawa Kyousuke would grab the dagger and viciously stab himself at this moment.

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In the instant Kyousuke's act of "attacking the police" was established, his complete downfall would be sealed.

Even though there were no cameras in this projection room to record what was happening, Akikawa Kyousuke's fingerprints on the evidence bag and the dagger would serve as direct proof of an assault on an officer.

And sure enough, Toda Kyouji saw Akikawa Kyousuke suddenly lift the dagger and fix him with those piercing blue eyes.

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"Officer Toda, I have a piece of advice for you."

"Don't overdo it when handling things, and always leave yourself some room to retreat."

"Because when someone loses their value entirely, they can be easily discarded."

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"Pfft—hahahaha!"

Kyousuke's words made Toda Kyouji laugh uncontrollably.

Listening to Kyousuke's tone, anyone who didn't know better might think he held the upper hand and was lecturing as a winner.

---

He had just received the dagger deliberately given to him. Did he really think he could use it to end his life?

"Fine. It doesn't matter if you don't understand now. Anyway, you'll have the rest of your life to slowly think over the meaning of my words."

As Kyousuke finished speaking, the hesitant expression on his face vanished in an instant.

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Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted suddenly.

Mischief danced in his eyes.

Toda Kyouji suddenly realized something was wrong.

He watched as Kyousuke moved his fingers, and the tip of the dagger, which had been pointed at him, completed a 180-degree turn in an instant.

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Then, Kyousuke gripped the dagger with both hands and stabbed it into his own neck.

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"He's going to kill himself!!!"

Toda Kyouji, overwhelmed with joy and excitement just moments ago, now felt as if lightning had struck him.

Though he was ruthless with criminals and never hesitated to use force, he had never dared to beat a prisoner to death outright.

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If Akikawa Kyousuke died, even if it was self-inflicted, Toda would face severe punishment.

After all, his earlier claim that the Metropolitan Police Department's Traffic Division had eliminated all suspects was a lie designed to provoke Kyousuke into attacking.

In truth, Kyousuke was not legally a suspect and had no charges against him.

Toda Kyouji never imagined Kyousuke would act this way.

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His body reacted almost instantly to Kyousuke's movement, but he was still a fraction too slow.

Pfft.

The knife's tip pierced flesh, producing a short, sharp sound.

Then came a wet squelch as the blade sliced through muscle and blood vessels.

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The dagger stopped after penetrating a few centimeters into Kyousuke's neck.

Toda Kyouji desperately grabbed Kyousuke's hands, which were clutching the dagger. The composed facade he wore moments earlier had vanished.

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The scarred side of his face, usually terrifying, was now filled with panic.

He stared at the blade, once gleaming with a silvery-white metallic sheen, now quickly dyed crimson.

Blood streamed down Kyousuke's elegant neck, staining the shirt beneath his suit.

Toda Kyouji's heart raced.

---

After confirming he hadn't caused a major disaster, he finally had time to look at Akikawa Kyousuke, who was standing so close in front of him.

But when he saw Kyousuke's expression, his panic-stricken heart suddenly felt as though it was being gripped tightly.

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Kyousuke was smiling.

This wasn't the naive, foolish smile he usually displayed when playing a child.

It was as if a thousandfold surge of dopamine and norepinephrine had exploded in his body, driving him into an uncontrollable high.

If Toda had been just half a second slower, the blade would have severed Kyousuke's carotid artery and trachea.

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But even in the face of death, there was no trace of fear in Kyousuke's smiling eyes.

On the contrary, it resembled the laughter of a billionaire mocking a clown who had won a horse race by sheer luck and started flaunting his power.

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"Why? Isn't he afraid at all?"

"Why would he rather kill himself than harm me?"

"Does he see his life as expendable, a tool to achieve his goals?"

Toda Kyouji, who prided himself on understanding Kyousuke, was now completely baffled.

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The heart he thought he'd thoroughly dissected began to cloud with confusion.

After extreme fear, a surge of rage flooded Toda Kyouji's chest.

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"How can someone like you exist in this world?!"

"You're really sick!"

"Damn it! Damn it! You really deserve to die!"

Toda roared hysterically at Kyousuke.

This lunatic had nearly taken them both down together.

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At that moment, a knock sounded on the projection room's closed door.

Toda Kyouji froze, suddenly turning toward the source of the sound.

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"This isn't right. No one should be here," he thought.

But before he could finish that thought, his musings were interrupted.

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In the split second Toda was distracted by the knock, Kyousuke's hand slipped free from his grip.

Kyousuke retreated, pulling the dagger from his neck with a sharp pop.

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Bang!

The steel door, previously sealed by Toda, was suddenly blasted open as if hit by a car.

Light flooded the dim projection room.

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Standing in the doorway was a silhouette backlit by the sun.

The figure's shadow stretched endlessly into the room.

Toda Kyouji recognized the person immediately—it was someone he'd met just two days ago.

A short-haired woman with wavy black locks and an intense expression now stood in the doorway.

Her right leg, raised in a kicking position, was just beginning to lower.

---

It was Sera Masumi.

(End of Chapter)